Practice Note 810.2 (Revised) The Duties of the Auditor of an Insurer authorized under the Insurance Ordinance
The Insurance Authority (“IA”) prepared the following Question and Answer (“Q&A”) and issued it to authorized insurers on 19 December 2025.
This Q&A should be read in conjunction with PN 810.2 (Revised) and other regulations, standards or guidance published and issued by the HKICPA.
The Q&A is intended for general guidance only. The Institute DOES NOT accept any responsibility or liability, and DISCLAIMS all responsibility and liability, in respect of the Q&A and any consequences that may arise from any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any materials in the Q&A.
| Q1. | Does the IA have any specific requirements regarding how the “Specified Annual Forms” should be attached to the independent auditor’s assurance report (“auditor’s report”) under Rule 5 of the Insurance (Submission of Statements, Reports and Information) Rules? |
In preparing the auditor’s report, auditors should refer to PN 810.2 (Revised), The Duties of the Auditor of an Insurer authorized under the Insurance Ordinance (“PN810.2”) issued by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, in particular the example auditor’s report in Appendix 2. PN 810.2 requires auditors to attach a copy of the downloaded Specified Annual Forms which shows the submission identification number generated by the IA’s Insurance Regulatory Information Connect (“IRIC”).
For the avoidance of doubt,
- There is no standard requirement on the format of the attached downloaded Specified Annual Forms (as long as the submission identification number is clearly shown). The forms attached can be in digital pdf format or scanned format;
- The “auditor’s identification chop” on the downloaded Specified Annual Forms is not a mandatory requirement but depends on the auditor’s practice.
- The IA accepts the submission of the auditor’s report together with the examined Specified Annual Forms via electronic format, both scanned wet-ink signed auditor’s reports and digitally signed auditor’s reports (such as those using DocuSign).
- There is no need to submit hard copies of auditor’s reports unless specifically requested by individual case officer of the IA.
As a reminder,
- The submission identification number should be presented on every attached Specified Annual Form;
- Auditors should append all the required audited Specified Annual Forms in the auditor’s report, unexamined forms are not required to be attached.
